Operators

February 19, 2014 | By Sergei L. Loiko, This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

KIEV, Ukraine -- In the wake of violence that claimed 25 lives and left hundreds injured, the Ukrainian government declared Wednesday that it was launching "an anti-terrorist operation" that some feared would escalate its conflict with pro-Western demonstrators. “What is happening today is a conscious use of violence by way of arson, murder, hostage-taking and intimidation ... for the sake of pursuing criminal goals,” the country's security agency chief, Alexander Yakimenko, said in a statement published on the agency's website.

A top European Union regulator raised concerns Wednesday that new Federal Reserve rules for foreign banks operating in the U.S. could place an unfair burden on EU financial firms. The Fed's Board of Governors now requires Barclays, Deutsche Bank and other large foreign banks doing business in the U.S. to hold more capital in reserve for their U.S. operations to guard against losses and undergo stress tests to determine their financial health. The requirements, approved unanimously Tuesday, are similar to those for the largest U.S. banks.

Los Angeles lawmakers plan to introduce an ordinance Tuesday that would require the operators of big hotels to pay workers $15.37 an hour, one of the highest minimum wage rates targeting private employers anywhere in the U.S. The initiative by City Council members Nury Martinez, Curren Price and Mike Bonin is expected to set off a fierce contest between labor and business. Union activists say workers deserve a bigger share of revenue in the booming hotel industry, while owners say that nearly doubling the state minimum wage of $8 an hour will hurt profitability.

Spike Jonze's idiosyncratic risk-taking has been rewarded with broad acclaim throughout his career, including two Directors Guild of America nods and four Oscar nominations (three this year alone for "Her"). Still, he's not immune to doubt. "To be honest, in editing, there's always periods where I feel like the movie is never gonna work," he says. "'It's a noble idea, but ultimately a flawed idea.' Usually it'll go away after a week or so and I'll be excited about the movie again.

Starting Wednesday, US Airways passengers at Los Angeles International Airport will need to go to Terminal 3, not Terminal 1, because the airline is moving its operations. "All US Airways ticketing and check-in, aircraft gates, baggage services and customer service will begin operations in Terminal 3 with the airline's first flights from LAX the morning of Feb. 12," according to an airline statement Tuesday. US Airways will share Terminal 3 with Allegiant Air, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit, Virgin America and Virgin Australia.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. intelligence officials are frustrated that the Russian government is withholding information about threats to Olympic venues coming from inside Russia, several lawmakers said during talk shows Sunday. "We aren't getting the kind of cooperation that we'd like from the Russians in terms of their internal threats," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said in an appearance on "Fox News Sunday. " "It means that we're less effective in protecting our people, and that's a frustration," Schiff said.

Construction costs and revenue estimates for the California bullet train are headed downward while operating costs and ridership for the proposed statewide system are expected to increase above earlier forecasts, according to the project's latest business plan unveiled Friday. The draft plan summarizes the work of the California High-Speed Rail Authority during the past two years, contains revisions of ridership and cost estimates made in the 2012 business plan and describes the project's future goals, including the possibility of attracting private sector partners.

SACRAMENTO - A deadly accident involving a California ride-sharing driver has brought to light a potential downside to this new high-tech carpooling: Who pays when something goes wrong? Companies such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar have long insisted that the insurance they provide their drivers is sufficient to cover accidents. But a recent tragedy shows the murky legal terrain in which these new taxi-like services operate. On New Year's Eve, an Uber driver struck and killed a 6-year-old girl who was crossing a San Francisco street with her family.

WASHINGTON - The Navy said Tuesday that instructors responsible for training sailors to operate nuclear reactors that power submarines and aircraft carriers may have cheated on qualification tests, the latest in a series of ethical and criminal misconduct cases roiling the Pentagon. The Navy suspended 30 senior enlisted sailors serving as instructors at the Navy base in Charleston, S.C., after a sailor seeking to qualify as an instructor alerted his superiors that he had been offered answers to a written test on reactor operations, senior Navy officers said.

Ross William Ulbricht was indicted Tuesday on charges that he operated the billion-dollar Silk Road website where customers used Bitcoins to buy and sell drugs. The indictment for Ulbricht, 29, who authorities said was known by his Internet moniker "Dread Pirate Roberts," includes a new charge, of engaging in a "continuing criminal enterprise. " The count carries a maximum life sentence and a mandatory minimum term of 20 years, said Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Ulbricht was also indicted on previous charges of conspiracy to commit computer hacking and conspiracy to launder money.